California has six new laws that Gov. Gavin Newsom says makes the state “a leader in the fight to transition away from fossil fuels.”
One of the laws “prohibits any state entity, including the state Lands Commission and the California Department of Parks and Recreation, among others, or any local trustee from entering into a lease or other conveyance authorizing new construction of oil- and gas-related infrastructure on federally protected lands,” according to a press release.
The law responds to moves by the administration of US President Donald Trump to boost federal oil and gas leasing in the state (OGJ Online, May 29, 2019).
“These reforms and new leadership will enhance safety of existing oil wells, refocus the state’s geologic energy division to better consider public health, and fight against the Trump administration’s efforts to expand oil extraction in California,” Newsom said.
Other new laws:
• Require that oil and gas well operators estimate the cost of plugging and abandoning wells and decommissioning oil and gas production facilities.
• Rename the state Division of Oil, Gas, and Geothermal Resources (DOGGR) the Geologic Energy Management Division and specify that its mission includes protecting public health and environmental quality, including cutting greenhouse gas emissions.
• Require the submission of testing data conducted on idle and abandoned wells for publication on the DOGGR’s web site.
• Improve reporting of the chemical composition of leaks from natural gas storage wells and require the DOGGR to review and revise its gas storage well regulations and policies.
• Establish contingency planning for nonfloating oil spills and address nonfloating spill preparedness of the Office of Spill Prevention and Response.
According to an August study by Los Angeles Economic Development Corp., oil and gas production and refining generated $152.3 billion in total Californian economic output in 2017, representing 2.1% of the state’s gross state product.
